Thursday, January 17, 2013

Pets head to Vatican and Spain churches for blessing

Dogs, cats, parrots and farm animals gathered at
the Vatican and churches across Spain on Thursday to be blessed on the
feast day of Saint Anthony, the patron saint of animals.

Dogs, cats, parrots and farm animals
gathered at the Vatican and churches across Spain to be blessed on the
feast day of Saint Anthony, the patron saint of animals.

Donkeys,
pigs, cows and chickens bayed and clucked in St. Peter's Square, as
Cardinal Angelo Comastri, general vicar for the Vatican, gave his yearly
blessing to all God's creatures.

"We've always had dogs, it's time to get them baptised!" said a cheerful Federica Veneto.

Bemused
looking sheep were kept away from overly enthusiastic dogs as dozens of
horses with their manes braided pranced up the via della Conciliazione
-- the main street leading to the Vatican -- ridden by police officers
or leading colourful horse-drawn carriages.

A group of Italian vets stood by offering free check-ups for doted-upon pets.

In
Madrid, animal lovers lined up outside the main entrance to the Church
of San Anton with their pets on leashes or wrapped in blankets in their
arms as they waited for a priest to sprinkle the animals with holy
water.

Many dressed their dogs in their finest for the occasion,
decking them in coats to guard against the cold or tying bows in their
fur.

Jose Martinez, 74, dressed his blonde cocker spaniel Poki in a
scarf in the yellow and red colours of the Spanish flag and a grey
sweater.

"We brought him here to be blessed to see if he becomes
less naughty," he said, standing in the queue while his pet barked at
other dogs waiting nearby.

Dogs were the most numerous species but rabbits, hamsters, canaries and other birds were also blessed.

Lucia
Perez tried in vain to get her grey and white parrot Ursi, wrapped in a
green blanket, to say hello as she waited for her turn.

"I come
almost every year. We are very pleased with her and want her to have a
long life," the 57-year-old said before kissing the bird's beak.

Nearby the line of faithful waiting to present their pets to be blessed,
another queue formed outside a separate church door to buy buns.

They
are traditionally kept alongside a coin in a cupboard to be eaten on
the feast of Saint Anthony the following year to ensure good health and
to gain the blessing of the saint.

The buns are baked according to a secret recipe meant to keep them soft for longer.

Pets
and their owners, police dogs and guide dogs for the blind could be
seen marching through the streets around the church in the afternoon.

The
church celebrated several masses throughout the day in honour of Saint
Anthony, with dogs sitting in the pews or on the church floor alongside
their owners.

"We come every year because it is traditional and it
is beautiful," said Mario Perez Blanco, 57, who brought his
seven-year-old labrador retriever Gaspar to be blessed.

The
festival has been celebrated in Madrid largely uninterrupted since the
19th century. It is also held in other parts of Spain such as the
Balearic Islands in the Mediterranean and the northern city of Burgos.

Animals
are said to have been instinctively drawn to Saint Anthony throughout
his life. Anthony, who was born in Lisbon, Portugal in 1195, is often
depicted addressing a menagerie of animals attentively listening to his
words.